Jerry Wolman dies at 86

NEARLY 50 YEARS ago, Jerry Wolman did not actually own everything in Philadelphia sports - it just seemed that way.

Wolman owned the Eagles, which he bought in 1963 for the fabulous sum of $5,505,000. He owned Connie Mack Stadium, where the Phillies played their games. He part-owned the Flyers and the Spectrum along with Ed Snider.

It was an unprecedented empire in Philadelphia sports. The irony, of course, is that the empire was eclipsed decades later by the one built by Snider, the former protégé and partner whom Wolman blamed for failing to help rescue him during the financial crisis that cost him both teams.

Wolman died yesterday at his home in Maryland. He was 86.

"He was a fun-loving, charismatic man who got along with everyone," said Leo Carlin, who worked in ticket sales for the Eagles both under Wolman's ownership and today. "He loved Philadelphia and was one of those people who tried to help everyone he could reach."

The bankruptcy story is complicated, and memories have faded over time. But problems in Wolman's construction business led to financial problems in all of his businesses, including the sports teams, just as the Flyers were being birthed in 1967. The he said/he said between him and Snider in subsequent years has made the story almost impossible to untangle.

The crucial incident was described by both men in a 2009 interview with Daily News columnist Stan Hochman. By this time, Wolman had traded his half-interest in the Flyers in exchange for Snider's half-interest in the Spectrum, and then the Spectrum had gone bankrupt and Snider had bailed it out.

Hochman wrote:

"Wolman says he had a $43 million loan lined up with Arab oil men that would have stemmed the tide of red ink. He summoned Snider to Eagles' training camp in Hershey and asked him to sell him the Flyers, saying he needed them as collateral for the loan.

"Wolman says Snider agreed, drove home, then reneged on the promise. 'The deal collapsed,' Wolman said, 'and I was ruined.'

"Snider won't acknowledge the change of heart. 'Look at it in a logical way,' Snider lectures. 'He had Connie Mack Stadium, he had Yellow Cab. The Flyers were a $2 million team that was $2 million in debt. What kind of collateral is that?' "

Wolman hung on to the Eagles for another year or so before selling to Leonard Tose in 1969 for $16.1 million, then a record price for a professional sports franchise. His years of ownership were memorable mostly for losing, and for giving a 15-year contract to coach Joe Kuharich, and for putting Snider in his front office as business manager.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry on multiple occasions when he came back to watch an Eagles game," said Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie. "Each time, we enjoyed reminiscing about Eagles football and sharing in the enjoyment of owning such a historic franchise."

Wolman is survived by his wife, Bobbie, two children, Helene and Alan, and seven grandchildren.

Blog: philly.com/DNL